Youth Council event hopes to spark dialogue

Thursday

PANAMA CITY — Inviting people to speak their minds can create “really interesting dialogue,” according to the host of an event Friday night appropriately called “Speak on It.”

PANAMA CITY — Inviting people to speak their minds can create “really interesting dialogue,” according to the host of an event Friday night appropriately called “Speak on It.”

The local NAACP Youth Council will hold its monthly “spoken word event” at 6 p.m. at the A&M Theatre, 536 Harrison Ave. Admission is $5, which supports the NAACP Youth Council’s enrichment programs for local youth.

Speak on It invites people in the community, especially of the younger generation, to share ideas on a designated topic. This month’s topic is “Reality vs. Fantasy.”

“We based it mainly off of reality television, because in some cases with reality TV they actually (depict) a person’s real life, but in some cases, the person likes to create this image strictly for the camera,” said Speak on It host Jamal Steele. “People — sometimes they are real, but at the same time they like to create this image for people, but behind closed doors or with people who really know them, you get the real person.”

In the nearly three years since the event’s founding by Youth Council adviser Keisha Siriboe, discussions have covered topics relating to racism, stereotypes, politics and more. One meeting discussed Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman.

Anyone can make a presentation on the topic. Speak on It is billed as a “spoken word” event, so many contributors use original poetry, monologues or songs to convey their thoughts. Steele said he’s seen people bring visual art, as well. Steele and his co-host will pose questions on the topic to the audience, inviting them to share their ideas.